Familia Ante Omnia
by NixyKnight
Summary: Chloe Walsh fell for the one kid her dad would never let her date. So she kept it secret. Then she found shes not the only one hiding; hearing secrets that were never meant to be shared. She can't trust anyone, and things are coming to a boiling point.
1. Chapter 1

**The title means 'Family above all else' (or something to that extent) in Latin.**

**I got this idea during (would you believe it, Latin class) and decided to post it up here. Might continue it if I get enough readers :) But I'm still focusing on my Maternal Instinct series. (Do me a favor and read those too! xD Thankyouuu)**

**Anyway, what if Shane's daughter fell for Glenn, and he told her she couldn't see him? Then she finds out about him and Lori, and all the other hidden secrets in camp. Everything comes to a boiling point, and nobody can be trusted now. To Chloe Walsh, the living were definitely more scary than the dead.**

**(And she's 20 for all those who are curious)**

**R&R!**

**Thanks!**

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><p>The first thing I thought of when I woke up was <em>'Damn, I've fallen asleep in my party dress'.<em>

The second thing I thought of was _'Oh, and in the car, too'._

The last - _'Holy shit my mom is gone'._

I sat up straight, already feeling tears start to hit as I thought about what I had just saw back at the hospital. My mom. Dead. And not even from the cancer, either! From that flipping bite mark in the side of her neck!

"You alright, Chloe?" My dad looked back at me from the front seat. He had his hands tight on the wheel and was driving pretty quickly through the neighborhood.

"No." I answered honestly. "I'm... I'm not."

I read his face and knew he was just as emotionally messed up right now as I was. He'd just lost his wife, my mom. "I know. I know."

Seeing my dad in so much pain made it ten times worse for me. He was a cop. He never showed any emotions like that. I shook my head clear and changed the subject. "Where are we going?"

"Rick and Lori's. I've got to make sure her and Carl are safe."

I felt a stab of remorse remembering my dad checking Rick for life signs, and shaking his head.

"Okay." I answered quietly. We drove silently towards the Grimes' house and I found myself really worrying for them, too. I babysat Carl a lot on weekends, he was a sweet kid and I'd known him his whole life. I was 8 when he was born. I brought the baby pictures in for show and tell and bragged to class about my new 'nephew' and how flipping cute he was. I taught him how to play the play station and Xbox, and felt proud when he started beating me- at every single game. I'd been there for every baseball game just like he came to all the games I cheered at when I was in school. We went to each other's birthday parties and I was the first person he'd call if someone was being mean to him at school or if his parents got in a fight and he wanted someone to talk to. In so many ways... he was my little brother.

And in the same ways, Rick and Lori were like my second parents. Rick and my dad were best friends since high school and it was the same with my mom and Lori. The Grimes family were at every barbeque over the years and we always did things together. Lori took me out shopping for lingerie on my eighteenth birthday and we purposely left the receipt on the kitchen counter so my dad would flip out. And then that year we got him for April Fools and replaced his normal rounds with blanks when he went to the firing range. Rick had come back to the house laughing his ass off.

But Rick was gone, now. And so was my mom. There was no changing that. And I was reminded of that every day, whenever I looked down at my wrist. No, I know what you're thinking. Nothing like that. When I turned 18 Rick and Lori made me Carl's godmother. I got a tattoo on my wrist of a Celtic knot bracelet, with 'Grimes' and 'Walsh' entwined into it, the words 'familia ante omnia', meaning 'family above all else' in Latin. All our names were written within the Celtic knot, around to the back of my hand. Carl always promised he'd get the same one on his upper arm when he got old enough.

Absently I looked down at it. I felt like I had to add to it, now. Get Rick and my mom's birthdays written under their names, and add today's date for the date of death. What used to be a sentimental tattoo was suddenly now a tribute to the people I'd lost. Even the meaning of the tattoo of the pink breast cancer ribbon I had on the left of my chest seemed to change. It used to be a tribute, too, but now it didn't really have a meaning. My mom died, yes, but not from the cancer. My mother was murdered.

The waterworks hit harder and I tried to shake it off, but it only made it worse. I wiped my hand across my eyes and climbed into the front seat next to my dad. On instinct I reached for the radio dial and switched it on... and instantly regretted it.

"This is the emergency response broadcast. Civilians please report to the nearest military checkpoint and-"

My dad switched it off.

"Sorry." I mumbled. "Forgot."

He nodded and scratched at the stubble on his chin. "We're here." He said.

I was out of the car before he even stopped, breaking into a run for the Grimes' house. I heard my dad follow behind and cock his gun - just in case.

"Lori!" I screamed, swinging open the door. "Carl!"

"Chloe?" Lori peered out through a doorway. "What's wrong?"

"Lori!" I rushed to her, "Oh, God, Lori, we've got to go, now."

"What? Chloe-"

"Lori, please." My dad showed up beside me. "It's not safe here."

"But the news said to stay indoors, I-"

"Lori!" Dad shouted, "Get Carl, gets your things, we're leavin', _now."_

"O-okay." She nodded and ran off to do as he said. I ran up the stairs and followed her to Carl's room, where he was sorting through his 'Yu-Gi-Oh' cards.

"Carl, honey, pack a bag, we've got to go." Lori grabbed him a suitcase from his closet and tossed it on the bed. "Hurry."

Carl had a question mark plastered to his face but she ran out, leaving me to explain. I started going through his drawers and shoving random clothing into his bag.

"Have you seen the news, Carl?" I asked. He shoved his cards in his pocket and started helping me pack.

"What, about the crazy people? Yeah?"

"It's gotten really bad." I said. I blinked back a few tears and continued, "They said to get to a military checkpoint. That's Atlanta."

"We're going to Atlanta?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we're going to the hospital, first." He insisted, "We've got to get my dad, and Miss Sarah."

I didn't have the heart to tell him so I just nodded as the tears managed to spill over. I turned my back to him so he couldn't see me break down and told him to go get his bathroom stuff while I got some other things. After he left the room I turned around and dropped against the wall, hitting my head back on it and just started sobbing hysterically. I had to let Lori tell him. My dad would have to tell Lori, and she'd tell Carl.

God the kids going to be crushed. It hurt more just thinking about the look on his face. Oh my little brother. I didn't think I could stand seeing him go through that. He was twelve for crying out loud! He wasn't ever supposed to know pain like that.

Neither was I.

I don't think anybody was.

2 days ago, if you told me I was going to lose my mom and pretty much everyone else I ever knew or loved, I would have told you to buzz off and get your head checked. Now? I just nod and accept it.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Hey guys, sorry for the short chapter but I felt like updating today :)_**

**_Enjoy! Keep reviewing !_**

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><p>"Chloe, wake up."<p>

I growled at whoever decided to wake me up and babbled something along the lines of 'Go away I'm sleeping'. The person laughed.

"Chloe, we've stopped. There's other people here. You should meet them."

I shrugged them off again and curled tighter into a ball.

"Snnnnoooowwww!" From that I knew it was Carl. 'Snow' was his childhood nickname for me, short for 'Snow White', since I dyed my hair black when I was 16. My hair was back to red, now, like my mom's, but the name just stuck. "I have s'mores, Chloe!"

"Huhwhats'moreswhere?" Carl laughed when I immediately sat up at the mention of my favorite food and I frowned at him. "No fair."

"Come on, there's some people out here you should say hi to."

"People?"

He led me out of the car and I had to let my eyes adjust to the pitch black of he night. We were on a highway, headed to Atlanta, and the traffic looked just about dead stopped. I sighed as I noticed I was still in a dress from that party earlier. What a night.

Carl led me around to a car nearby, where Lori was talking to a thin woman with short grey hair, a girl about Carl's age latched on to her side.

"Chloe! Feeling any better?"

I smiled at Lori and nodded, "A little."

Lori turned to the grey-haired woman. "Carol, this is Chloe, Shane's daughter. Chloe, this is Carol, and her daughter Sophia."

"My husband, Ed, is over with your father." Carol informed me.

I conjured up a smile and nodded to the pair. Sophia smiled at Carl,

"Is this your friend?" She asked, "The one with the tattoos?"

I raised an eyebrow at Carl and he laughed, "Yep, this is her."

"I like your dress." Sophia said. I sighed. I was still wearing it. We weren't able to stop by my house to get any clothes, and Lori was way too thin for me to borrow any of her clothes. The dress was black and silver with red roses embroidered into the top half, the bottom frilling out in several layers. I felt like a princess, and very out of place in the dark aura of the night.

"Thanks." I said. I turned to Carl, "So, 'the one with the tattoos'?"

"We were talking about our favorite TV shows and movies earlier. She said she liked Hello Kitty so I told her about your tattoo."

I laughed and rolled my eyes. I swept my hair away from my neck and leaned down so the girl could see the small tattoo of Hello Kitty's face that I had behind my left ear. She laughed,

"That is so cool!"

Carl beamed, "Snow, show her the one on your wrist." He turned to Sophia, smiling, "It's got my name on it."

I showed her and both Carl and my smiles faded when we realized who _else's _names were on the tattoo. I'd forgotten, again, why we were on the highway. I'd put images of the past day in the back of my mind hoping to forget them. But once again, my tattoo reminded me. This was going to be harder than I thought. I had to fight back tears as the tattoo triggered memories and they started flooding back to me.

Carl, Sophia, and I were playing checkers in the back of Carol and Ed's car when we heard the helicopters. I shivered and Carl smiled nervously at me.

"Are we gonna go soon?" Sophia asked her mom.

"I don't know, sweety, I hope so."

"I'm hungry." Carl mumbled.

"Yeah, me, too, kid." I agreed.

"We all are." Lori said. I sighed and tried to ignore the rumbling in my stomach. I turned back to moderating the kids' checkers game. Carl was winning.

"You know, why don't I get them something to eat?" Carol spoke up with the voice of a nightingale. "Ed's got all this survival stuff, we've got enough MREs to feed a small army."

"I'd sure appreciate it," Lori said.

"No trouble." Carol called as she walked around to the front of the car. I smiled to myself at the thought of food. I hadn't eaten in a while and it didn't seem as though I was going to get a chance to stop by McDonalds if I got hungry.

Lori came back and ruined my good mood. Not only were we not getting fed, but the radios had stopped getting signals. Not even emergency broadcasts about the refugee center in the city. Her and my dad were going to go up the road a bit to find someone who knew what was going on, so I had to keep an eye on Carl in the meantime. I nodded as she left and she mouthed a _"Thankyou, Chloe"._

"Your guys' dad's nice." Sophia said quietly. Carl shuddered.

"We're not related," I told her, "Lori's Carl's mom. Shane's my dad. Our families are good friends."

"My dad's dead." Carl said flatly. _So is my mom_, I wanted to say, but didn't have the courage to say the words aloud. I wrapped an arm around Carl and he curled into me so I rested my chin on his head. Suddenly a loud noise that reminded me of thunder echoed overhead. But there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. It was going to be another long night.


	3. Chapter 3

Napalms. They were napalming the city. So what, that meant no refugee center. No chance for us... And all those people in Atlanta? Suddenly I was thankful for city traffic. That could have been us, burning in the streets.

"That is a haunting scene." I looked to my side, finding an old gentleman standing beside me. He pulled a fisherman's hat off his head, and held it to his chest.

"It's horrible," I said, looking back out at the retreating aircraft.

He nodded, "God help us."

I left, and went back to the highway. Carl was sitting in our car, alone. I climbed in beside him and offered my arms out. The kid fell against me, and I leaned my head on his.

"What's happening, Chloe?" He asked.

"I dunno, man. I really don't have a clue. All I know is, I got you. I got my dad, your mom. And we're gonna figure this out, somehow. I know we will."

"How?" he asked, and I was stuck. I lied when I said we'd figure it out. I didn't know what else to tell him. The truth? That they set the city on fire? That everywhere we turned, people were dying? People were... not themselves?

"We just will, okay? Trust me."

The front doors of the car opened, and Lori and my dad got in. They shut the doors, and dad locked them, their eyes glued somewhere outside the windows. Lori covered her mouth with her hands, and my dad's hand hovered over his holster.

"What's going on?" I asked. Lori looked back at me, her eyes red. I looked to the driver's seat. "Dad?"

"They're coming." He said quietly.

Carl let out a whimper and I pulled him closer. He grabbed one of my hands, holding on tight. A hand slammed against the window, and I screamed. I looked over, seeing a young blonde, waving at me. I reached over and rolled down the window.

"Hey! Go back! We're heading away from the city. Follow the winnebago."

I nodded and she dissapeared, heading to other cars. My dad turned over the engine, and I rolled up the window as we pulled back, and started driving away. Carl squeezed my hand, and I fell asleep, holding him close.

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><p>When I woke up, it was morning. Carl had migrated to the other side of the car, curled up into a little ball, his eyes looking out the window.<p>

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Where are we?" I asked.

"Driving to Fort Benning," He told me. "We just stopped for gas."

I nodded, looking around. There were ate least four other cars, including the RV. "Where's our parents?"

"Shane's getting gas," he said, "My mom's over there," he nodded towards the RV, where Lori was speaking with a blonde woman and that man with the fisherman hat from last night.

It wasn't a dream.

I looked over at Carl. "Hey, you okay?" I asked, moving over beside him.

Hs shook his head. "Not really."

I hugged him close. "Me either. But let's go eat, yeah? No sense in starving ourselves."

He nodded, "The asian guy has peaches."

I laughed, "Okay, then."

Carl went off to find food, and I headed over to the RV, walking up beside Lori.

"-exactly, and last I heard, this is America, you know. We have guns, and-" The girl looked to me questioningly.

"Oh, Chloe, you're awake!" Lori threw her arms around me animatedly. "How are you feeling?"

"Ridiculous," I said, looking down at the ruffly dress I was still wearing. "And hungry."

"I have the cure for both of those ailments," The young blonde from last night smiled at me, appearing beside Lori. "You're about my size... And we have plenty of food."

I looked to Lori and she gave an encouraging nod. I followed blondie into the RV.

"What's your name?" She asked.

"Chloe," I told her, shutting the door behind me. "Yours?"

"Amy," she smiled, "That's an awesome dress, by the way."

I smirked, "Thanks. I just got home from a party when... Well, you know."

She smiled sadly, handed me a pile of clothes. "Yeah. My sister and I were in Atlanta. Dale, the guy who owns this thing? He saved us."

I took the clothes, "What happened? In Atlanta?"

She looked at the floor. "I'm... I'm not really sure. My memory's trying to block it out."

I snorted, "I know the feeling."

She went to the cupboard, and grabbed a plate. "Go ahead and get changed in the bathroom," She said, "I'll serve you up a plate."

I nodded, heading for the back. "Don't happen to have hashbrowns, do you?"

She gave me a weird look. "No... But I have pancakes. And bacon."

I shrugged, "That's cool, too."

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><p>When I walked out of the RV, I had on a black t-shirt and a pair of short jeans shorts. I was still wearing my ballet flats from the party, Amy and I didn't share a shoe size unfortunately. I had a plate of hot food in one hand, fork in the other. I shovelled pancakes, eggs, and bacon into my mouth as I surveyed the scene. We were parked on the side of a road, and there was about a dozen people around, talking in hushed voices and gathering gear together. There was a gas station about twenty yards up the road. Everything else was empty fields.<p>

"Hi, Chloe," I looked over, finding Sophia smiling up at me.

"Morning, Sophia," I smiled. I took another bite of pancakes.

"Do you know where Carl is?" She asked.

"Good question." I looked around, not seeing any trace of the little guy anywhere. "Hmm... There. I see him." I pointed to one of the cars, where Carl was sitting leaning against a wheel, throwing a rock into the air and catching it. Lori stood by him. Sophia and I walked over, and I sat beside him. He offered me a bowl.

"Peaches?"

I laughed and displayed my plate. "I got pancakes, bro."

He eyed me jealously. "Where'd you get those?"

"Amy, at the RV," I said. "Go ask nice."

He got up and hurried over, and Sophia followed him. I took a bite of bacon, and looked up at Lori. "What are we doing?" I asked, standing.

"Right now, we're waitin' on Shane, and one of the others," She said. "Glenn, I think."

"Wait, my dad left? Where is he?"

She guestured up the street. "They're getting gas, and supplies."

"Why aren't all the cars up there?" I asked, taking my last bite of food.

Lori wrung her hands together. "There were... Some of those things down there."

"Oh." I stopped talking. I wished to avoid the entire end of the world subject altogether."So, Fort Benning?"

She nodded, "The Army Base. Shane thinks it's our best bet."

"Hot soldier men with big guns and tons of supplies? Heck yeah."


End file.
